Trapped
by LinZE
Summary: A Minerva and Mirune fic (A follow on from the most amazing ‘Out of Air’, ‘Behind these Eyes’ and ‘The Mirror has Two Faces’ by Alliecallienip and Mandy of the Amoeba.) MMAD re-posted.


TRAPPED 

**Disclaimer:  **I own nothing except the ideas and even they were stolen so…

**Summery:  **A follow on from the most amazing 'Out of Air', 'Behind these Eyes' and 'The Mirror has Two Faces' by Alliecallienip and Mandy of the Amoeba.  MM/AD

It was a Wednesday afternoon and he had been shut in meetings with ministry of magic since he had arrived.  It had become a ritual of sorts.  The two old friends had walked into Hogsmeade before apparating to Diagon Alley.  Minerva was always quiet on these trips but today she had been even more withdrawn.  As an outsider he had often wondered at the toll it took on her to come and see what was left of her twin locked up in the hospital.   But after knowing the two women from a young age he saw how important it was also.  He would never have described them as too halves of the same whole but they were contrasting, one understood the other so much more when they had met the other.  When the medic had apparated quite suddenly in Cornelius Fudge's outer-office he had created quite a stir and had seemed more than a tad stressed by the whole situation when the secretary finally let him in.

"I'm sorry Sir, Professor.  But I was asked to request your presence at St Mungo's" The young man continued addressing him.  "It is quite urgent."  

"What on earth's the matter?"  Fudge asked no-doubt bristling at the intrusion.

"Well, we're not entirely sure Sir.  It's just well, Professor McGonagall and well…." The young man stuttered again.  "Well someone suggested that you were here and that you might be able to calm her down… and…"  

"Say no more."  Dumbledor told him before turning back to the Minister.  "I'm sure you won't mind if I leave it at this given the circumstances.  Good.  Now shall we go?"  He grabbed the younger mans arm and they had disappeared before Cornelius could comment.

            When they walked through the heavy metal doors they were met with a more chaotic scene than was usual from the Headmaster's limited experience.

"This way Professor." The medic told him ushering him into a small office at the end of the corridor.

"Albus!  Oh thank heavens you're here!"  She called as soon as he entered the room.

"Professor!  Would you Please sit down again?"  A nurse ordered more than asked as she pushed his friend back down into the seat and continued to treat her.  "Mark?"  She called.

"Yes ma'am?"  Replied the medic.  

"From the sound of things they're still struggling to get Her tied down.  You might want to go give them a hand."  It only took a quick glance at Minerva's dishevelled appearance, her usually impecably neat hair falling around her face, and the numerous scratches on her face and arms to at least give him a clue as to what had happened.   But he wasn't sure he understood her reaction.  It wasn't the first time she had been witness to one of the rather dramatic changes in personality that had in essence become her sister's existence or the first time she had hurt in the process.  Even still though she seemed far more disturbed then ever before, she couldn't seem to sit still and her eyes were flitting around the room at an alarming rate.

"Now, if you will ensure me that Professor McGonagall will sit still and stay reasonably quiet for the next half hour I will leave her in your hands Professor."  He nodded silently and waited until the other woman left before he moved forward.

"Minerva?"  He asked quietly.

"Oh Albus!  I can't believe I never realised!  How could I not…? I mean you would…of thought that …well I don't know?  That I would have known!"  By the end of her babbling she had lost all semblance of control she had managed to grip onto for this long and broke down in heart rendering sobs.  He carefully wrapped her up in his embrace and rocked her quietly until the heaving subsided.  This was an entirely strange occurrence for him.  This was Professor Minerva McGonagall one of the most controlled women he had ever met, he could count on the fingers of one hand the number of times he had seen her cry in their long friendship including her parents funeral and it had never been like this.  When she had quietened he sat her up and looked straight at her.  

"Now dear, why don't you start over – slowly this time and I'll see if I can't follow?"  She smiled a little at this but it soon vanished.

"I'm not sure how to explain all this but… Over the last few weeks I've just had this feeling, I don't know how to explain it."  He just held her hand gently and waited for her to continue.  "I knew I had been avoiding looking her in the eye.  I just couldn't bring myself to…I think I was scared of what I was going to find.  I'd been thinking about it more recently though.  In any case, when I went in today she was, it was Rue who met me.  She didn't look up once for the first half an hour or so, so I just pottered around, watered the window box and ran a duster over things while I chatted away.  When I sat down at the end of the bed though.  She leaned over and put her hands on my face and tilted my face so that I was looking directly at her.  And it was her Albus.  It was Mirune!  She's still inside there!  She always has been!  She's trapped!  Then she, the… the evil one was back and…" His friend's red-rimmed eyes stared up pleadingly at him as she gestured to the still raw flesh left where her skin had been broken.  "And they won't believe me but I know she's in there. And…" Her next sentence was again swallowed by another sob and again it infuriated him more than he could tell to just sit by as an observer to all this pain.

            It was a year later when he next returned to the psychiatric ward of St Mungo's.  This time he entered with Minerva's hand firmly gripping his.  The change that had occurred over those twelve months was so startling that he would seldom have believed it if he had not witnessed it for himself.  At first he had been convinced that the revelation his friend had made was going to be the end of her, at least as the world around her knew her.  But instead she had amazed him once again as she seemed to find a new and more compelling reason to return to the hospital  - to reassure her twin that she had not lost faith, that she knew that she was there and would hopefully, some day return to them.  He would never try and tell anyone that it was easy, for it had been anything but, however it had drawn them together and furthered their friendship beyond well… a friendship.  He had been the one to hold her as she cried her eyes out in the privacy of their rooms only to pull herself back together in time to face another day, another week and another visit.  But as time passed things were improving her guilt lessened and her strength returned until she was once again the formidable woman he had known and loved for more years than he cared to remember.   And in accordance it seemed that Mirune too was benefiting from her twin's discovery as the she-devil's appearances had been becoming less and less frequent and last month she had even been 'herself' for a short period renewing hope in both her doctors and Minerva.  As it had turned out the discovery he feared would have left them both trapped in their own way had rewarded them with more freedom than they had had in years. 

A/N:  Please review *smile*.

                                                LinZE


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